Athletic garments of the prior art teach using multiple materials to simultaneously warm and cool selected parts of the body. United Kingdom Pat. No. 440,164, owned by the Gesellschaft Co., discloses improvements in stockings including plating work of warmth conserving material designed to cover parts of the leg which are sensitive to cold, such as the knee and the adjoining portion of the thigh. However, the heat-insulating portions are limited to such parts of the stocking which normally remain invisible during wear.
United Kingdom Pat. No. 2,604 to Brown discloses the placement of ventilation holes in underwear. The holes are placed in the arm pits of shirts or vests, or in the gussets or folk of drawers or pants. U.S. Pat. No. 1,329,025 to Smith also discloses an undergarment with different kinds of material. Portions of the garment corresponding to areas of the body usually well covered by outergarments are made of fabric that is a good conductor of heat, such as cotton. Other parts of the undergarment corresponding to areas of the body which are not as well protected by outergarments are made of fabric which is a poor conductor of heat, such as wool.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,249,446 to Mell discloses a heavy warm fabric, such as wool, combined with a lighter, softer fabric such as silk. The lighter material is in contact with the skin of the wearer, while the heavier material is disposed so as to protect certain predetermined portions of the body, without contact therewith.
None of the prior art discloses an athletic garment which simultaneously warms the small, fragile muscles and tendons while providing ventilation for the large, hard-working muscles. Nor does the prior art teach the incorporation of relatively broad seams, such as four-needle flat seams, to provide a proprioceptive effect. These are important improvements since otherwise athletes may sacrifice performance by overheating themselves by wearing a garment of all heavy weight fabric. Alternatively, an athlete who wears a garment of all loose-weave material risks a decrease in performance due to cold and/or cramped small, fragile muscles, tendons and the like.